Kasabian played a hit-packed set as they became the first-ever Thursday headliners at Leeds Festival last night (August 27). See what went down below, along with footage, photos and the full setlist.
The Leicester band kicked off the northern edition of Reading & Leeds 2026 ahead of releasing their delayed ninth studio album, ‘Act III’, which is due to arrive next Friday (September 4).
Having previously topped the bill in 2012 and 2017, Serge Pizzorno and co. christened the revamped main stage – now called ‘The Grid’ – following R&L’s major arena overhaul for this year.
“Thursday night, Leeds Festival for the very first time – this is history,” the frontman declared at one point, feeling the sense of occasion in the field. “We’re making history!”
Kasabian headline Leeds Festival 2026. CREDIT: Matthew Baker/Getty
The troubled weather remaining completely dry for the duration of their set was another reason to celebrate, amid a looming thunderstorm threat after heavy rain hit Bramham Park earlier in the day.
Manchester band Arkayla brought their scrappy indie tunes across the Pennines to start. While festival-goers would usually be seeing in Thursday with tinnies around the tent, frontman Cal Blakebrough paused to take stock of the huge moment. “The last time I was here I was 16-years-old, watching Post Malone from over there,” he recalled, looking out at the “beautiful sight” of young fans. ‘Fortune Teller’ gave us the first singalong of the weekend as the arena filled out.
The Lathums‘ dose of Americana by way of Wigan came next. “This song is called ‘Sad Face Baby’,” said vocalist and guitarist Alex Moore to introduce the final song. The rousing and hopeful ‘How Beautiful Life Can Be’ was another highlight in a set that felt almost headline-worthy.
Kasabian eventually arrived onstage as black-and-white TV static fuzzed across the big screens, launching into colossal classic ‘Club Foot’. Pizzorno soon demanded “moshpits”, with one fan brandishing a ‘Leicester City Champions’ flag down the front.
“Let’s get this place bouncin’,” the singer said in second song ‘Call’. “What a beautiful fucking evening we’re gonna have together.” He took full advantage of The Grid’s new runway to get closer to the audience, telling us to get “locked in” for ‘Underdog’.
‘Days Are Forgotten’ then blended seamlessly into the stomping ‘Shoot The Runner’. A particularly epic rendition of the towering 2006 single ‘Empire’ followed, complete with a psychedelic guitar outro.
Despite it only being Thursday (and with no live music down in Reading), the slot was far from a scaled-back affair to ease us into R&L ’26 – instead bringing full-throttle production and party vibe.
‘You’re In Love With A Psycho’ saw many up on shoulders at the frontman’s request, lit by fuchsia pink lights. Kasabian also peppered in reworkings of numerous dance favourites in between tracks. A snippet of Justice vs Simian’s 2006 electro hit ‘We Are Your Friends’ segued into the sunny sounds of ‘Coming Back To Me Good’.
Next up was ‘Stevie’ and recent G-Funk-flavoured single ‘Superpowers’. The group’s self-proclaimed “banger” and Calvin Harris collab ‘Release The Pressure’ took us on a ravey trip, making way for an instrumental version of Bronski Beat’s 1984 synth-pop gem ‘Smalltown Boy’. A filthy take on The Prodigy‘s ‘Breathe’ riff led us to ‘Vlad The Impaler’, too. Here, the crowd obliged when Pizzorno asked them to “get loose” and jump.
Kasabian headline Leeds Festival 2026. CREDIT: Matthew Baker/Getty
Elsewhere, he introduced touring member Rob Harvey (formerly of The Music) as a “Leeds boy”, marking a homecoming of sorts. “You’ve been so good to us over the years,” Pizzorno told the Yorkshire fans.
For a three-track encore, Kasabian performed ‘Ill Ray (The King)’, ‘God Bless This Acid House’, and set the field ablaze once more with euphoric 2009 hit ‘Fire’. Pizzorno participated in a chant of “here we fucking go!” as the tune broke down.
“This is why I joined a band, for nights like this,” said the vocalist, who was a man of few words throughout the show – save for his list of demands. “When you get back to the tent, I want you to keep on singing.”
Kasabian headline Leeds Festival 2026. CREDIT: Matthew Baker/Getty
Kasabian’s Leeds Festival 2026 setlist was:
‘Club Foot’
‘Call’
‘Hippie Sunshine’
‘Underdog’
‘Days Are Forgotten’
‘Shoot The Runner’
‘Empire’
‘You’re In Love With A Psycho’ (with Justice vs Simian’s ‘We Are Your Friends’)
‘Coming Back To Me Good’
‘Stevie’
‘The Doberman’
‘Superpowers’
‘Treat’
‘Vlad The Impaler’ (with The Prodigy’s ‘Breathe’)
‘Release The Pressure’ (with Bronski Beat’s ‘Smalltown Boy’)
‘Nothing Better Than This’
‘L.S.F.’
Encore:
‘Ill Ray (The King)’
‘God Bless This Acid House’
‘Fire’
Reading & Leeds 2026 continues today (Friday August 28), and runs through to Sunday (August 30). Check back at NME for the latest news, reviews, photos, interviews and much more.
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